Re: st: Re: A comment on abbreviations

I could go either way on this argument. Yes, abbreviations make it
more difficult to read, however I've also learned a lot about how and
why to abbreviate (such as saving keystrokes!)

Perhaps a simple disclaimer (e.g. "Abbrevs used")?

Michael McCulloch (One of the less experienced users, eternally
grateful for the help I've received from this wonderful group).

Guilty as charged! But sometimes fast turnaround on the list renders
such practices necessary. At the end of the day, Stata understands
you when you enter -h prob-: The correct help file appears, so it is
possible to understand what the line "prob f p w" means.
Secondly, the output that appears on screen after the command also
clearly says what Stata has just calculated.
I was not aware that there was an FAQ explicitly prohibiting
abbreviations. Sorry about that...

Abbreviations make it easier to write a text, but more difficult to
read it. Especially if your experience with the language is
limited, abbreviations make life difficult. I have the impression
that the use of abbreviations at Statalist have increased during
the last months, and recently a response included this:
prob f p w

It means
probit foreign price weight
- and that is much easier to read.

The Statalist FAQ includes good advice, mostly to less experienced
users seeking help. I think it should also include this advice to
the more experienced users offering help: